Pre-photographic pictures of hot air balloon accidents show the perils of late modernity
Falling to your death was a strong possibility
In the jet age, hot air balloons still hold a mystique that is hard to reconcile with their menace. A romantic throwback to pre-mechanical flight, ballooning is also a reminder of man’s arrogant fragility in the face of nature—specifically gravity. Horrendous ballooning accidents still routinely deliver devastating losses of life, yet there is no shortage of weekend warriors lining up for sunrise mimosas over Sonoma. Who were the fools that decided floating thousands of feet above earth in a wicker basket would ever be a good idea?
Well, the French pioneered most of the early experiments in the late 18th century, beginning with Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, who in 1783 became the first to complete an unmanned, untethered flight. The five-mile long, 500-foot high trip took the aviator only 20 minutes and convinced the world of the new technology’s potential. Two years later, French inventor Jean-Pierre Blanchard made the first long distance air journey across the English Channel. Not to be outdone, Rozier attempted the same crossing using a newly designed hydrogen balloon, which was safer and more efficient than previous models. The balloon failed near Calais, and he plummeted 1,500 feet to his death.
But the carnage was far from over. With Rozier out of the way, Blanchard would go on to set many ballooning records, including the first American flight in 1793, which launched from inside the Walnut Street Jail in Philadelphia and was witnessed by George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe. In 1809, Blanchard fell from his balloon after a heart attack, and died a year later from his injuries. His young wife Sophie would carry the torch for another two decades, flying and exhibiting balloons throughout Europe until an ill-fated attempt to ignite fireworks over Paris engulfed her apparatus in flames before hurtling to the street in front of a large audience at Tivoli Gardens in 1819.
In total, Madame Blanchard had made 67 balloon ascents in her career. She is said to have remained calm during her final descent.
